Seahawks draft linebacker Curry with first pick

Looking to solidify their defense under new head coach Jim Mora, the Seahawks selected Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry with the fourth pick in the first round of Saturday’s NFL draft.

Aaron Curry

Curry, 6-foot-2, 254-pounds, figures to immediately challenge for a starting position for the Seahawks, who must fill the vacancy created by the trade of veteran outside linebacker Julian Peterson to Detroit over the offseason.

“I expect to go in there and really get into a team-oriented situation,” Curry said on ESPN immediately following his selection. “I’ll be looking to fly around and have fun.”

Curry received the 2008 Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker, and earned consensus All-America honors. He is a native of Fayetteville, N.C.

The biggest question on Curry is whether he’ll be a big pass-rush threat in the NFL. He had 2 1/2 sacks last year for Wake Forest. But Seahawks player personnel director Ruston Webster said prior to the draft he had no problem projecting Curry as an excellent pass rusher.

Seahawks fans would love to see some of this hard-hitting action from Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry. (Photo courtesy of Wake Forest).

“I think Aaron Curry can do a lot of things well,” Webster said. “He has some ability to blitz. Jim (Mora) was talking earlier about how there’s a difference in a rusher and a blitzer. He has that ability and he’s got a feel in coverage. Smart player, big, fast. All those good things.”

Curry was athletic enough to intercept four passes for Wake Forest as a junior, returning three for touchdowns to tie an NCAA record for linebackers. As a senior this past fall, he had 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, three fumble recovers and an interception.

Detroit opened the first round by selecting quarterback Matthew Stafford out of Georgia and St. Louis picked offensive tackle Jason Smith of Baylor. Kansas City then went with Tyson Jackson, a defensive end out of LSU.

That left Seattle with its choice of Curry, wide receiver Michael Crabtree, quarterback Mark Sanchez among the highest-regarded prospects in the draft.

While many thought the Seahawks would opt for Sanchez and the chance to land a quarterback of the future to groom behind Matt Hasselbeck, general manager Tim Ruskell opted for a safer selection in Curry, regarded as an excellent athlete and high-character type who should be able to help the team immediately.

Cleveland then traded the No. 5 pick in the first round to the New York Jets, who picked Sanchez. The Jets gave up their 17th pick in the first round, 52nd pick in the second and three veteran players to move up 12 spots.

Crabtree fell to San Francisco at No. 10 in the first round.

Curry becomes the highest-drafted player by the Seahawks since Shawn Springs was selected third in 1997.

He is just the third linebacker selected in the first round by Seattle, joining Tony Woods (18th in 1987) and Anthony Simmons (15th in ’98). The Seahawks also landed Brian Bosworth with the first pick in the 1988 supplemental draft.

Seattle’s next choice is the fifth pick in the second round, the 37th selection overall.